Borders of Heaven and Hell
by Sinister Shadow
Summary: When a devil falls for an angel... FOURTH PART UP: Visser Three remembers his love, and compares himself to someone very unlikely... Closet Fan! R and R. COMPLETE.
1. First Meeting

**A/N:** Well, I'm on a very mild writer's block for V3D, and I decided it was about time I released another CF one-shot. Then, THIS idea popped into my head! **This story is a collection of four one-shots**, telling the story of Closet Fan in four different parts of their relationship. This first one tells of their **first meeting** after Visser One leaves Earth to be promoted. What was their relationship like before her promotion, and how did it change because of it? Find out in this first one-shot. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

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**Borders of Heaven and Hell**

**"First Meeting"**

"_In the desert of my dreams I saw you there  
And I'm walking towards the water steaming body cold and bare  
But your words cut loose the fire and you left my soul to bleed  
And the pain that's in your truth's deceiving me, has got me scared"  
-- __**Sarah McLachlan**_

_**---**_

**Visser One, at the time Sub-Visser Four-Hundred-Nine**

I was sitting in a boat. Just a small, motorized boat, in the middle of the very lake where my human host loved to be. Soon, in merely moments, the ship would come. The Blade ship which would take me away from this place I'd come to loathe. And when that happened, this boat would tip, and this human, Eva, with a husband and son, and a family and friends, would never be heard of again by the people of Earth. Her body would never be found.

I know it sounds cruel to you. But, as Yeerks, sometimes cruelty is necessary. We do what we have to do, no matter what the cost.

( You don't _have _to do this! ) Eva screamed in my head, crying and yearning for her family which was already lost. ( You do this because you're a hateful, loathesome creature. You take away my family so you don't have to put up with the fact that you don't have one anymore! )

And even though I didn't show it, her remarks stung. It was true. I'd once had a family, though not anymore. The male Yeerk which I'd come to call my mate, Essam Two-Nine-Three, and I had committed a great crime. We'd procreated, had twin children, and not as ourselves but in _human hosts_. There were now two abnormally intelligent human children in this world who carried genetics from not two but four parents. Procreating in general wasn't something that was looked upon very highly in the Yeerk society.

Yeerks aren't supposed to fall in love.

Yeerks aren't supposed to see their children.

Yeerks once weren't supposed to see… at all.

You see, we Yeerks are in fact just small gray slugs. We live in large aquatic spaces on our home planet called Yeerk pools, where we feed and grow. In our natural state we are completely blind. Practically deaf. We have a good sense of smell, though… but what is there to smell, really?

Over time our species evolved, and we learned a new ability, with its own pros and cons: we realized we could, through the ear canal, enter the brain of another creature, wrap ourselves around it, and take complete control of that creature. When you are controlled by a Yeerk, you can't do anything on your own. _Anything_. You just sit around in the back of your head while the Yeerk lives your life, betrays your friends, enslaves your family…

You see? Pros and cons. At least you can still see, hear and feel. Not that that will help you very much when your Yeerk gets you into a perilous, painful situation…

I snapped back out of my thoughts as I heard something from up above. The wind very suddenly changed directions. I looked up from the boat. There was an abnormal wave in the air. I smiled, relieved, for I knew it was the ship, coming to rescue me from my beloved Essam's graveyard, this planet of utmost tragedy.

The hologram started to disappear, but only on the bottom, to reveal the hatch by which I would enter. I signaled to the ship, happy as I never was. Through the joy though I still heard Eva's incessant wails.

( Please! Please, I beg of you, let me say goodbye! Please let me say goodbye to my son! ) she screamed.

I ignored her. And yet something about her worried me… Her body felt different, somehow. Weaker. Could it be Eva was becoming physically ill because of the trauma of losing her family?

I certainly hoped not. In that case, I would need to enslave a different, healthy host for the time being. Thing is, there _were _no other hosts _to _enslave. Unless whichever Visser who operated this Blade ship was carrying extra hosts… The _last _thing I wanted was to be stuck in bed with a sick, traumatized host.

Believe me, I've been through trauma before. It isn't exactly fun.

" Sub-Visser Four-Hundred-Nine!" I head a rough, low voice call.

My head jerked up. I saw a head and shoulders poking out through the under hatch. It was a standard Hork-Bajir-Controller.

" Yes?" I replied loudly.

The Yeerk pressed a button which was out of my line of vision. Soon after, the hatch widened, and a long, thick metal pole with a horizontal platform at the very end protruded out of the hatch and started descending towards the boat I stood in.

The Controller proceeded to giving me instructions.

" Grab on to the pole and stand on the metal platform," he said. " It will pull you up and into the ship."

I nodded up to him as the strange mechanism reached the floor of the boat. I quickly climbed on (Eva cried harder), almost instantly feeling the pull of gravity as the ship's mechanism pulled me up with it.

I sighed in relief. I was leaving this place at last.

---

As soon as I got up inside the ship, Eva's tragic screams giving me a serious headache, I thanked the Hork-Bajir-Controller for taking me aboard the ship.

" You're very welcome, Sub-Visser," the Controller said, smiling. He held out a hand, which I shook. " I am Iniss Two-Two-Six of the Ket Minar pool, personal assistant of Visser Three. Welcome back."

" Thank you, Iniss," I said. " I'm Edriss Five-Six-Two of the Sulp Niar pool."

He smiled again and started walking down the long corridor we were standing in. I followed him.

" Sulp Niar, huh?" he asked. " I was located there for two weeks after my home pool was destroyed."

" I'm sorry," I said with genuine regret. " My best friend is also from Ket Minar. He was located with us too, though for more than two weeks."

Iniss nodded, then suddenly stopped and looked at me. " Is everything alright, Sub-Visser? You seem quite pale."

My eyes widened as I held a frail hand to my face. He was right, I could already feel my face burning up.

" Eum…" I started hesitantly. " The Visser wouldn't happen to be in possession of extra hosts? I'm afraid this one is becoming ill."

Iniss smiled knowingly. " Of course! We have a wide selection of the four regular types of hosts in the pool room."

I stopped walking. " _Four_?"

" Of course. Humans as well. Oh! … You're wondering why I'm still in Hork-Bajir form. Well… seems Hork-Bajir are a wee bit stronger than humans… I usually lift the Visser's desk over my shoulders with this host. Yesterday I tried to do it in a human host… The desk fell on top of me and broke both my legs. And so, here I am."

I smiled. He turned and indicated a room three doors down on our right.

" Those are the Visser's private quarters," he said. " As soon as you have your replacement host, could you go report your presence to him?"

" Yes, of course," I replied.

" Alright, well…" he pointed in the opposite direction, " the pool room is that way. We'd better get going."

I nodded. And then, we turned around and walked away. Eva silenced herself just a bit, evidently glad I'd decided to be a good Yeerk and leave her alone with her sorrow for a little while…

---

I walked, in my new, healthy human host, to the room which Iniss told me was Visser Three's shipboard residence. I stopped in front of the door and knocked.

I had chosen another female human host for my temporary replacement, that is until Eva was relieved of her annoying sickness. This host had black hair and eyes and reminded me very much of Allison Kim, the host I had used when I was with Essam.

This host's name was Isabel Jameson. She was younger than Eva and even younger than me myself. She had dreams of marrying her high school sweetheart, whom she met in eleventh grade and hadn't seen in five years. Her dreams had, of course, been crushed since she became a replacement host, which didn't stop her from being angry and screaming. She was practically worse than Eva!

So anyway, my huge headache _still _not gone, I knocked with an unfamiliar hand on the door. Little did I know that that simple action would change my life forever…

( Enter! ) I heard an annoyed voice inside my head.

Confused and wondering about the strange voice, I pressed the "open" button, letting the door slide open. I walked in and it closed swiftly behind me.

" Hello?" I said hesitantly. " Visser Three?"

I stepped into the room and saw, beyond the doorframe, an Andalite – an Andalite-_Controller_, the only one in all the universe – shuffling frustratedly through quite a large pile of paperwork. He lifted his stalk eyes to see who it was bothering him in his work, and when he saw me he stopped working to raise his entire head up. All four of his eyes were on me now.

… Which made me quite nervous. Considering that I was but a lowly Sub-Visser, in the presence of the third most high-ranking Visser in the Empire.

( … Yes? ) Visser Three asked.

" Pardon me Visser," I blurted. " I… I did not mean to interrupt, I --"

He smiled a tired smile. ( Don't worry about it. ) His smile faded again. ( But if I may ask, what brings a female such as yourself down here in my quarters? )

" Well," I replied. " I am Sub-Visser Four-Hundred-Nine. I have discovered a potential Class-Five species and have begun their infestation on the planet's surface."

His eyes widened. ( Well, it's very nice to meet you, great discoverer. )

" And you," I said. Then, my nervousness of meeting a high-ranking Visser eased, I tried to make conversation. " Quite a nice ship you have here. Have you had it for long? It looks almost new."

( You have good caretakers to thank for that, I'm afraid. ) He chuckled a little. ( I've had this ship ever since I became Visser Three. Was almost a year ago. )

I laughed. " That isn't _that _long. I haven't seen the home world in more than two years now!"

He smirked. ( Well, in any case, I shall give you a quick tour of the ship. Coming? )

" Of course, Visser," I said, following him out into the hall.

---

I didn't tell him about my promotion. I didn't feel the need to. The truth is, I thought he already new. Just a few days ago had I received the message from the Council of Thirteen: I was to leave Earth and return to the home planet, in order to be promoted to Visser One. Visser _One_. Me. My lifelong dream was being realized. At last, I, Edriss Five-Six-Two of the Sulp Niar pool, would have the entire Yeerk military under my command.

Perhaps, once I was Visser One, the Visser and I would get to see each other much more often. Maybe we could even become friends. That would be wonderful, since evidently we had very much in common. Even now, we got along wonderfully. I had a hard time believing all the things the other Yeerks on Earth now said about him: They told of how bitter, cruel, angry Visser Three was. But I kept looking, and found none of that in him.

Maybe he was just having a very good day.

Or maybe they were all wrong.

I was allowed an entire escorted tour of Visser Three's Blade ship. It really was a fascinating ship. The walls were of colored metals, almost indestructible. The outer coat, as I had seen upon my arrival, was of a beautiful midnight black. There were too many rooms to count.

But most comforting, was that now, I needn't put on any human act. I could be myself.

I was home.

When we returned to Visser Three's chambers after having finished my tour, we were surprised to find Iniss waiting there. He smiled at me.

" Sub-Visser," he said. " We're waiting for you on the bridge. It's time to receive your promotion."

Visser Three's eyes widened.

( A promotion? ) he asked. ( Well, good for you! I'll come with you to see it. )

I smiled genuinely. I had no idea… I had _no _idea of how drastically this simple promotion would change things between us. So I just smiled, happy that he would be there to witness my greatest moment.

We walked side by side, the three of us – Visser Three, Iniss and I -- to the bridge.

Upon arrival we noticed that there was, in the center of the room, a huge hologram containing thirteen Hork-Bajir-Controllers in beautiful, flowing red garbs. The Council of Thirteen. They themselves would hand me my entire future covered in a few spoken words.

I nodded to them. They acknowledged me in turn. I struggled to contain this flow of emotions I was feeling. Me, Visser One. At last. At long last.

" Welcome, Edriss Five-Six-Two." A member of the Council, perhaps the Emperor himself, perhaps not, stood up to greet me.

" Thank you, Council Member," I said softly, feeling completely unworthy.

" Edriss Five-Six-Two," he continued proudly. " You have performed invaluable services to this Empire by finding and starting infestation of the only known Class Five species to date. You are to be greatly rewarded for your efforts."

He paused. I looked at Visser Three and Iniss, and they both looked back encouragingly.

" I, Garoff One-Six-Eight of the Council of Thirteen," he said finally, " hereby appoint you to the rank of Visser One."

Just hearing those words. Oh! It was amazing. I practically broke down in tears and fainted and smiled all at once. But of course, my strictly controlled self could only allow the latter.

" Thank you, Council Members, thank you!" I exclaimed, a huge smile lighting up my face. " I will not let you down, you can count on that!"

" We will be reaching you for further explanation of your next mission, Visser," Garoff said. " In the meantime, enjoy your promotion."

And with that, the hologram disappeared.

I turned back to rejoice with the others. Iniss was smiling almost as much as I was.

" Visser One!" he exclaimed. " Visser One, wow! I have never seen a Yeerk rise so many ranks at once. And a female, on top of that! You must be so proud."

I laughed happily. " You'd better believe it!"

Then, I looked back at Visser Three. And I was appalled to see that his reaction was nothing I had expected…

He just looked at me angrily. His eyes… There was no longer that calmness, that niceness he previously had. Now, his eyes were nothing but jealousy. And hate.

And, as he turned and stormed out of the room without saying a word, I knew that this friendship was over before it even had time to begin.

I was Visser One, leader of the Yeerk invasion of Earth, and of many other invasions yet to come. I stood alone at the very top of the military hierarchy at long last.

And because of his jealousy for my newfound rank, I had lost my potential friend.

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**And there's your first one-shot, describing their first meeting. Not at all the same as now, was it? Well, I hope you enjoyed, and please review to tell me what you thought of it. No flames, please. I worked hard on this. :P**


	2. Stormings

**A/N:** Here's the second one-shot of this four-part series. A bit of a shorter one this time.I hope you enjoy, I certainly had a lot of fun writing it:D **I don't own Animorphs. **Read on…

**Borders of Heaven and Hell**

**"Stormings"**

"_Hate is like a storm: The simple clouds evolving into rain, then the eruption of thunder and finally the flash of burning lightning. The storm of emotions, which eventually, inevitably, settles again." – Anonymous._

**Alloran-Semitur-Corass**

If it was the last thing I ever did in my lifetime, I would make sure this filthy slug of a sentient creature got out of my mind.

I had been infested by Visser Three what seems now like eternity past. Besides my awful luck as a powerful Andalite warrior, believed by all to be immune to the Yeerks' power of control, it had been a sunny day. It happened on the Taxxon home world, and I had been on a mission to bring two human children back to the planet where they had been spawned: Planet Earth. Under my charge were two Andalite arishts, Elfangor and Arbron were their names. They, unlike me, were able to escape the Yeerks, body and mind in one piece, or at least for a limited time…

But that… is a completely different story.

I've always hated my life since then. Stuck inside my own mind with nothing to occupy me but my thoughts. My memories (which both, coincidentally, the Visser could read like a book). I was left there to long and yearn for a simple dwindle of hope. Missing my wife. My children. My life.

Hope is a strong word, Alloran. Just pray you do not use it in vain…

My life has really been a black hole, since my infestation. I suppose that, above all other things, it was a reality check. Not only to me, but to our entire species. It showed us to watched our arrogance. It showed us that, despite our power and wonder, even _we _are not invincible.

No one, and nothing, is.

In fact, the only thing I have to occupy me and put a little spark into my gloomy days is, well, the Visser himself. We normally talk about lots of things. Sometimes we can even go up to two sentences without yelling at each other. They are never pleasant conversations, but conversations all the same. I hate the Visser with all my soul. And he despises me equally.

… But if there's one person Visser Three hates even more than me, that person is Visser One.

Or in other words, one of the most fascinating creatures in existance.

Visser One _is _truly fascinating. Through Visser Three I've learned to know her. Though I hate her almost as much as the Visser, she is amazing to listen to. Her mind works in such a way that she can think of just about any possibility, any idea, _anything _she may need to think of. She analyses situations thoroughly, flawlessly. Which makes her, in many ways, the perfect military commander. An intelligent, brilliant creature, to say the least. Even I, an Andalite, must admit that.

And her intelligence also makes her quick in arguments. Oh, poor Visser Three.

Visser One definitely does not realize the amount of power she has over Visser Three. She can provoke him like no one else can, tip him over the edge of anger and make him lose his cool. She knows exactly what will get to him, and never fails to use it to her advantage. She alone never fears him, like so many creatures do. On the contrary: She sometimes makes _him _fear. A talent I would die to possess.

Nevertheless, though she knows him better than he knows himself, he knows her just as well. He knows every secret, every move, he knows what her every facial expression means. He knows how to hurt her and he isn't afraid to. I would even go as far as saying he may be a bit obsessed. They got into screaming, raging fights almost every day (and my poor body gets the nail marks). But they had one very important thing in common: They were, as the humans say, "stuck in the same boat".

That took away most of their repulse at seeing each other (they had to endure each other literally every day). But it didn't take away any of their hate.

And most likely, it never would.

As an Andalite, being infested by a Yeerk Visser was by far the worst thing that could ever have happened to me. But it also allowed me to get a different perspective into the life of a species that all Andalites are taught to despise. And, although I hate to admit it, it gave me a lot of company that I wouldn't have otherwise…

Sometimes, on hateful terms of course, I speak to Visser One while my Yeerk is feeding in the shipboard private Vissers' pool on the mother ship. It is interesting, to say the least. She has different viewpoints on the war than Visser Three does (But of course she does. That's one of the reasons they're worst enemies!). Most of the time, hers make more sense than Visser Three's, as well. For good reason. She is calculating. Visser Three is a raving, bloodthirsty maniac, lingering on every hope of all-out war on planet Earth.

In any case, conversations are always interesting. And informative… In fact, the last conversation I had with the Visser went a little like this…

---

I was in a cage.

It was a few days ago, during the last feeding cycle. And I was in a cage, held mercilessly, hopelessly, until Visser Three was finished feeding. Can you even begin to conceive how horrible that is? When your only moments of freedom are spent in a place where you can not even feel it? Where you can't smile, or laugh, or run along fields of tasty grass… I wished so much to be back on the Andalite home world, with Jahar and my two beautful children whom I missed so much. But I knew that wouldn't happen. All I had right now was the smooth metal of the cage.

And for company, a human-Controller named Visser One.

She was sitting on the single bench, which was located only a few feet from my cage. She relaxed a bit. She had finished feeding and was staying a while to get away from her busy life.

( So, Visser One, ) I said arrogantly, tentatively. She cast me a blazing glare. In me, she saw not the Andalite but the mean, hard soul whom she hated more than anything in the world. But he was gone now. And it was only me.

" How dare you disturb me, Andalite filth?" she snapped.

( I was hoping to ask a simple question, ) I replied coldly.

She looked at me, for a moment still and wondering. Then, like the curious being she was, she replied, "Fine. Ask away."

Then, inhaling, I asked the question that had been disturbing my mind for a long time now… ( Why is it that you hate Visser Three so much? He is a fellow Yeerk, after all. So how is it that you can despise him even more than we Andalites, your enemies? )

She thought about that for a long time. Pondering, I suspect. " Well…" she said finally. " He does threaten my post. He wants to be Visser One, and when I became Visser One he became so jealous… He told the Council that he had been the first to discover the humans, when in fact _I _was the one to go along and find the planet and start the invasion of Earth. I hate him because he hates me, I guess. I hate him because… he's my equal."

She became silent after that, and for the first time, I realized something: Visser One and Visser Three were more alike that I had thought. More alike than probably even they themselves had thought.

"_He's my equal"_… I knew then what she had meant by that. She hated him _because _they were alike. He was a lot like her, despite the differences, and she didn't like that. Maybe it really was because that threatened her rank…

Or maybe… Maybe it was because she looked at him and saw herself deep in his eyes. And didn't like the way she had turned out.

Can't say I blamed her. I often hate the way I turned out, too. It isn't easy to love yourself when you are your biggest critic.

And it's even harder to love others when you can't find a way to appreciate what's inside you.

She hated him because he resembled her.

But was that really her final answer?

--

Now, today, once again under the control of Visser Three, I paused and reflected about what she'd told me. I knew Visser Three could see it too, as he could see all my memories. But I didn't care. And, surprisingly enough, only now did he bring it up.

( That dapsen sure does hate me, ) he chuckled after yet another heated argument with his worst enemy.

( Yes, ) I said. ( She does. )

( Why do you talk to her, anyway? ) he asked coldly.

I considered that for a moment. ( Because she sees things that you don't. It's good to have multiple viewpoints. )

I guess he was satisfied with that answer, since he was silent for a few moments more.

( What did she mean by… _"He's my equal"_? ) Once again he broke the long silence, as if he couldn't read my thoughts already.

I simply laughed interiorly. ( You two are more alike than you think, Esplin… )

And I left it at that, as he lay my body down on the bed in his chambers, and closed his eyes, drifting into sleep.

His dreams swept into my mind… Dreams of fights, arguments, yelling and hurting. Their lives were a real storm, I thought. And even at night, her face haunted his conscience… A real, passionate hate. One that no one besides them could know and understand.

She'd told me that she hated him because he threatened her rank. Because he'd lied to sabotage her. And most of all, because he resembled her.

But I'd seen the confused, preoccupied look in her eyes when she'd finished speaking.

And I realized that in some parts, not even she knew the answer to my question.

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**So, there's my second one-shot! I really enjoyed writing this one. :) It was a lot of fun, and I hope you guys enjoyed!**

**Please review!**

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	3. Unjust Love

**A/N: I'm pulling a Host Swap. :P **Here's the third one-shot, updated after **only one day**. It's from the point of view of a very angry Yeerk traitor set on revenge… I think you may know him. :) This, in my opinion, is nowhere near as good as one-shot number two, **"Stormings"**, but it carries a lot of feeling and anger that I worked hard to achieve, so I'm proud of it anyway. :) Hope you enjoy!

This one-shot is based highly on** Animorphs #8, The Alien**. Read on…

**Borders of Heaven and Hell**

"**Unjust Love"**

"_They were like shooting stars: Shooting across the sky in a fleeting glimpse of eternity. And in a flash, they're gone." – Nicholas Sparks, "The Notebook"._

**Eslin Three-Five-Nine**

" My name is Gary Kozlar," I said calmly.

A lie, of course. It was all too easy to lie now. Of course, you'll find lying doesn't matter much once your reason for living is gone.

But unfortunately, my little fib did not fool the arrogant Andalite standing about three feet away from me.

( Don't waste my time, ) the Andalite named Aximili snapped coolly. ( That's a _human _name, fool. That is the name of your host body, maybe. But I know what you really are. )

I sighed and nodded, defeated. " All right, have it your way. My name is Eslin Three-Five-Nine. And you are Aximili, a young Andalite cadet. Brother of Beast Elfangor."

( Beast Elfangor? ) Aximili exclaimed in calm outrage. ( So that is what you Yeerks call my brother? )

" Your brother is dead," I snapped. " And so is the one creature in all the galaxy that I cared about. Her name was Derane Three-Four-Four. Tell me, Andalite… Do you know what's the one thing that they had in common, your brother and my Derane?"

( No. What did my brother have in common with a Yeerk? )

I could not stop the rage from taking over my facial muscles. It seeped in and contorted them into a deep expression of anger.

" They were both killed by the same creature," I said through clenched teeth.

( Visser Three? ) he asked tentatively.

" Yes," I replied. " Visser Three."

---

Visser Three. The person I despised more than anything in the entire universe. Why? Because he killed the person I _loved _more than anything in the entire universe.

It was a complicated story. Really, it was. Derane and I were as close as you could get. She had been with me in my training and been there for me when I needed her the most. I'd loved her. Really loved her. Most species, like Andalites, and even humans, think that we Yeerks are unable to experience love for another. They are wrong, of course. We feel love. We simply feel it a bit differently than they do. Our love is based more on affection than partnership, really. That is probably due to the fact that when we choose our mates, we realize that we will die in the act of reproduction with them. The knowledge that you will die with someone by your side really does give you an almost siblinglike affection for them.

But now, there was no hope for that. Derane was gone. And I would die alone. In battle or otherwise. Most likely by suicide, I think.

And all that is Visser Three's fault.

But I can't help but wonder, how can Visser Three be so cruel when he is a Yeerk and feels affection like the rest of us? How can he allow innocent individuals to die by Kandrona starvation and not even give a damn? How can he let people like me suffer the loss of their mates, when clearly he has someone on his own mind?

Oh, come on. How can you not see it? How can _he _not see it? Everyone else sees it pretty well. I've been on the mother ship, I've been countless times in his presence. In fact, I was previously a member of his personal guard on the ship before being restationed here. When you spend every day of your life with a person, you start seeing things about them. Like the light in his eyes when he looked at her. Like the fire in his soul when he spoke with her. Many people presume it's hate between the two of them. In fact, I think even _they _think so.

But I've been there. I've seen the signs. And I know there's something else there. I don't know what he sees in her, but it's there.

And I don't think he has even a clue.

He wouldn't though, would he? He wouldn't have the slightest clue. He is supposed to be emotionless, or at least that's what they say. He argues with Visser One day and night, he fights with her, torments her, torments himself at night imagining painful, horrid deaths for her to suffer… and the obsession with hating her grew and grew until eventually, it evolved into something else.

He's falling for her. And he doesn't even know it.

What's worse is that sometimes, I don't think his strange emotion for her is hopeless. Sometimes, when she sees him, her eyes glow in the same way. It confuses me… What is there in the evil, cold, cruel Visser Three that a Yeerk the likes of Visser One could love? The nature of their relationship is beyond me, and yet I know exactly what it may be like for them. I do not understand this hateful affection, yet it makes perfect sense.

As I said, I've been there. I've done that.

He still hates her with every fibre of his being, just as she does him. That will never change, I am sure. But yet deep within there is the faintest hint of admiration. Of love. You can see it in his eyes when he looks at her.

Love. I had it, once.

But now, thanks to him, it was gone…

Derane and I, we were different. There was nothing more pure, more amazing than the relationship we shared. There was no trace of dislike, no trace of hate in _our _relationship. So how can Visser Three hate so strongly, and yet love just as strongly as we did? It is inconceivable to me. Just as it is inconceivable to me that he could let die innocent Yeerks… like my Derane. Oh, how I miss her…

" My Derane…" I told the Andalite softly. " We came from the same pool. We went through training together and were very close. She understood me. She cared about me. But I had an important post at this observatory, while Derane was given a minor post. When you Andalites destroyed the ground-based Kandrona, Visser Three acted quickly. He said he'd found a way to save everyone. But he lied, of course. Too many Yeerks, not enough Kandrona rays. It was simple division. So he shuttled so-called 'important Controllers' up to the mother ship, and the rest…"

I took a deep breath, and noticed, for the first time, the bloody gashes on my arm.

( Was your Derane one of the ones killed? ) the Andalite asked.

" She was 'expendable'," I replied, struggling to keep my cool under the onslaught of emotion. But then, I smiled. " I've had some small revenge already. The Visser's friends are shuttled up to the mother ship every three days to feed. I sabotaged one of the shuttles. Now, some of the Visser's friends are starving and dying. Like my Derane died."

I smiled at the thought of revenge, sweet and perfect and blissful. I savored the cries of the Visser's friends as they withered and died on the ground before them. Visser Three would grieve for them… But not _enough_. Never could he grieve enough to pay the price for killing my beloved Derane. Unless, of course, the Yeerk _he _loved, Visser One, was sacrificed. I could kill her. I could go after her and murder her. Then Visser Three would suffer. I would watch him agonize, and I would laugh… _Now who's going to mourn? Mourn her death, and remember me. Remember me. This is what you've done to me. It's horrible, isn't it? To know you have to go on even though you can't live without her? To keep on fighting when you've got nothing to fight for? I know what it's like. You did this to me. Now I'm doing it to you._

I hope that someday, Visser One dies a long and painful death. I hope she dies and suffers and begs for mercy. Just so Visser Three can know what it feels like to lose the one he sees above the rest of the universe.

I hope she dies. And I hope Visser Three lives in grief and sorrow the remainder of his days.

For revenge. For Derane.

But no… I abruptly cut my perverse thoughts, ashamed of myself. Why should _she _suffer? I wouldn't have Visser One pay the price for Visser Three's doing. She wouldn't be victimized simply for being the object of Visser Three's greatest obsession. Visser One was a good, just Yeerk. If I were that cruel, I would be no better than Visser Three himself. That, I could never stand.

So that left me with only one other option to exact my revenge…

( Are you finished, Eslin? ) Aximili asked me, pulling me out of my shameful reverie. ( I've heard your story. Is there a point to it? )

" Ah," I said. " You want the point of the story. Yes, of course, the point. The point is this: Visser Three inhabits an Andalite body. And sometimes he feeds like an Andalite."

_You can deny it all you want, Visser Three. You hate her. But you also love her more than the universe itself. What will happen when I take her away from you?_

The Andalite did not answer, so I continued. " He feeds like an Andalite, almost alone. He has guards, of course, but they stay back. He is vulnerable. Vulnerable. And I know the place where he feeds."

_How vulnerable will you be when I make you pay the price? You're gone already. And you won't even get a chance to say goodbye…_

( Why are you telling me this, Yeerk? ) the Andalite asked.

_Never to tell her how you feel… the one you desire more than even to invade this planet. _

" Why?" I grimaced in rage. I felt sick. " Because I want him _dead_!"

_Dead. Dead, with never a chance._

" I want Visser Three dead!" I shrieked. " He killed my Derane! He killed the only one in the galaxy I have ever had feelings for. _He _did it. And I want him to pay with his life, the foul, half-Andalite scum! I want him DEAD!"

_I'll show you what it's like to lose your mind…_

I calmed down, just a little. I pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled something down. Then, I handed the paper to the Andalite.

" Time and place," I said. " You have a day to prepare."

_You will not deny it only seconds from death. You'll feel, Visser Three. Yes, _you_, the unemotional, the cold, the harsh. You'll feel, like I did._

( This could be a trap, ) the Andalite said cautiously.

_You won't be denying it for long._

I smirked and sneered. " I could have killed you right here. You have your duty, Andalite. The burden of revenge. Your brother's killer. Your greatest enemy."

I smiled interiorly. Derane would finally, at last, be avenged…

" You Andalites have always been great ones for duty," I said. " So do your duty, Andalite."

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**Wow. Well, that sure is an angry guy. I put a lot of feeling into that:P I don't think it's quite as good as "Stormings", but it sure is emotional. :)**

**Please review!**


	4. Heaven's Border

**A/N:** FINALLY, it's here! The **last of four one-shots **in **"Borders of Heaven and Hell". **This is a short one about Visser Three's undying love for his worst enemy… and his comparaison to someone very unlikely. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading!

_**Dedicated to XxaRchaNgLexX. Thanks for being my Closet Fan correspondant:P Hope this entices you to post the second chapter of your fic… I'll be waiting!**_

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**Borders of Heaven and Hell**

"**Heaven's Border"**

_"Love is like war: Easy to start, hard to end, impossible to forget." – author unknown._

**Visser Three**

She woke up with tears in her eyes. I guess she was afraid. I didn't blame her, so was I. It must not be easy to know you're going to die, and not be able to do a thing about it.

And it's even harder to know someone important to you is going to die. And that it's all your fault.

I had rarely seen Visser One cry. Only a couple times, I think. When she starts crying, you know it's bad. Hopeless. I didn't want to admit it, just as I didn't want to admit that in some strange way, I cared for her above everyone else in the universe. People think I do not care about anything or anyone. And before this, I would have assumed they were right. I had never told her how I felt about her, despite our deep hatred for each other. But subconsciously, at least, we both knew it. She had to know how I felt, or else she would not have been lying next to me right now, in my chamber at the underground Yeerk pool complex. The very place where she would die, just hours from this very moment.

Visser One sat up and pulled the covers over her shoulders. The dim light coming from the hallway beyond my chambers allowed me to see the outlines of her features in the darkness. I could see her eyes glisten softly, and traces of final tears along her cheeks. Final tears… I had done this to her… I sat up next to her and wiped her eyes gently. Why had I done this? Why?

Because I was too power hungry for my own good, that was why. And she had what I desired to accomplish greater power. So I had tried to discredit her, and found her guilty of treason along the way.

Now, she was set to be executed later this very day. And I wished I hadn't done all those things to get her out of my way.

I held her against me as she cried. It was all inevitable now…

---

Here I was now, in my little purple box. Ever since the Andalites – or rather _Animorphs _had won over the Yeerk Empire, I had been captured and sent to prison. But they had no idea, no idea at all that I had been in prison for a long time already. Deep in my soul, in my mind gone slowly insane, I recalled the memory of that night, and the fateful day after that, as if a tape replaying over and over again. What else could I do to pass my time? Yet, it was a painful way to do so.

I guess I really only realized in that purple box, locked away until my death day, that Edriss Five-Six-Two meant so much more to me than a simple Yeerk Visser whom I chose to rival… I mean, she was a great rival to me, an enemy always… but also, deep down, I think we both came to the realization long ago that there was something more, something deeper in our hateful relationship. We were just too stupid, blind perhaps, to see it or admit it, even to ourselves alone.

I hated her… I loved her… I knew all that now.

I knew it, subconsciously, the day I first met her in person. I felt, even then, that she was something special: The way she laughed, the way she spoke – with that subtle yet obvious authority of hers. I knew it, before our hate even began… before that promotion that ruined everything for me… but also brought me to her, and into a stage of my life I would have never thought I would reach. Love. Passion. For my worst enemy.

I knew it already when Alloran pestered and teased me about her, about loving her, though I denied it angrily at the time. I wondered, why did I get so damn defensive? … The thought caused me to be restless at night, tossing and turning…

And of course, I knew it the day I lay burning, watching her die, and unable to do a single thing about it.

But what is funny is that the only person I can relate to now is one of _them_. The irony that one of my greatest enemies throughout the years has gone through the very same thing is shocking. Yes, the Animorph called Tobias has lost a great deal as well… he has sacrificed much, and at the very end of his long battle, he lost the only person who'd ever really loved him – his beloved Rachel. Though I would never admit it to anyone but myself, I felt a newfound respect for Tobias. The enemy I'd fought so hard to defeat over the years… Much like Edriss.

_Oh, Edriss, why did you have to leave me alone? After you left I felt so broken, so shattered, so unloved…_

Was Tobias going through the same thing? Did he feel himself going crazy little by little?

Somehow I doubted it.

Because as similar as our situations were, Tobias didn't have to go through the shame, the guilt… He didn't have to live with the fact that Rachel's death was _all his fault_… And in the end, _he _got to tell her how he felt. He got to say "I love you".

And I didn't.

_Why him? Why not me?_

So often I pondered it. And so often the things I thought of brought _her _back into my mind…

I loved her. There was no sense in denying it now, locked up forever in a box barely bigger than I. I had even left a hint at my trial… there had been nothing to lose. Only to gain, as maybe someday the Animorphs, thanks to Tobias, would realize that during those last weeks and months of our battle to the death, I had been going through just as much pain as they had…

I had wanted so much to avenge Edriss that I could not see clearly. I'd made so many stupid mistakes… _That _is why we lost. Not because of my people's surrender. They wouldn't have surrendered if we'd better planned things…

And then, I thought of the wonderful relationship we had, Edriss and I. Those sorrowful thoughts went away in a wisp to be replaced by joyful, nostalgic ones. The memories of every moment spent together… But what was really _special _about us – I smiled interiorly at this – was our deep, passionate hate for each other. Without that hate it seemed to me our love would have been dull, boring. It was the foundation, the base. Without it, we were nothing.

And I think that now, even in death, Edriss would not want me to stop hating her… _Ever_.

_I hate you, Edriss. Till death do us part. And beyond._

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**Well there it is! I know it's short, and sappy, and it's supposed to be this short and sappy. :P**

**Thanks to everyone for reading this "fic" – or these four one-shots. I really enjoyed writing them and though this one isn't as good to me, it has an appropriate ending I find. :) Please don't forget to review!**


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